Tag Archives: sports car

The Mercedes-AMG GT Concept car was finally unveiled at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show. From the information, photos and video released by Daimler about the high-performance saloon, there is a lot to be excited about when the production version of the vehicle hits the market.

Exterior

The Mercedes-AMG GT Concept is the four-door variant of the Mercedes-AMG GT sports car. Significant improvements can be seen in the styling of the concept vehicle compared to its two-door counterpart.

The AMG GT Concept copies many exterior elements found in the AMG GT. However, due to the four-door design of the concept car, it appears more muscular and spacious than its AMG GT sibling. The body lines on the sides are also removed to give way to a smoother body that allows the artistic reflection of light from the vehicle’s surroundings. Then the front grille of the auto adopts the Panamericana design found in the facelifted AMG GT.

Engine

The AMG GT Concept makes use of the new 4.0-liter biturbo V8 engine of Mercedes. The combustion unit is paired with an electric motor to give it a performance boost. According to Daimler, the concept vehicle was able to produce up to 600 kW in its latest testing. The automaker aims to make the zero to 100 km/h acceleration of the car to be achieved in under three seconds.

The four-door AMG GT can be driven using solely its combustion engine. The driver can opt to use its electric motor alone too. To utilize the maximum performance of the car, its operating mode can be set to use both power units to fully take advantage of its hybrid drivetrain.

Photo Gallery

It makes sense for Honda to revive the S2000 because it has been pressuring itself to release a new sports car for the United States. Ever since the Japanese automaker decided to make a three-pronged lineup of sports cars, we have been waiting what it has in store for the US market.

1. Its Predecessors Came Out In 2015 And 2016

In 2015, we first saw the S660 microcoupe, which was the first sports car that Honda built for this lineup. It was powered by a mid-mounted turbocharged 660-cc inline-3. Last year, we saw the NSX supercar that came with a mid-mounted twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6 aided by electric motors.

2. The S2000 Is For The US Market

The S660 was a Japanese-only car from Honda while the NSX was an Acura brand. The US, however, is Honda’s biggest market to date, which means it cannot shrug off this particular market. What it did is to recreate the S2000, which was loved by many.

3. It Was Introduced As A 50th Anniversary Special

The original S2000 was launched during the company’s 50th anniversary in 1998. Now that two decades have passed, it’s time to do it all over again. In commemoration of its 70th anniversary, Honda plans to unveil the S2000 replacement with an RC213V-S superbike.

4. It Will Have A New Powertrain And Chassis

The replacement to the S2000 should have had the engine fitted in the Civic Type R. But seeing as this will be a special 70th anniversary car that will arrive in 2018, Honda decided it would fit this one with a new powertrain and a new chassis.

5. It Will Be Lightweight And Fuel-Efficient

According to reports, the coming S2000 will have a two-stage electric boosting system, one that is similar to what has been developed by Mitsubishi. The system, tests showed, will make the new car compact, lightweight, and fuel efficient.

The Renault Alpine won’t be coming to US shores. It will be strictly for the European market only, though how far into Europe, we still don’t know, too. If you will remember, in 2012, Alpine and Caterham partnered to develop a platform that can be used for future Renault Alpine and Caterham sports car.

While Caterham dropped the plans, Renault pushed through with it. The 2017 Renault Alpine is possibly the prototype for the sports car that’s about to come.

1. Identical To Alpine Vision And Celebration Concepts

Renault unveiled in the past couple of years two concepts—the Alpine Vision and the Celebration. The spy shots confirmed that the prototype looks very similar to these two concepts. The similarities can be seen on the lines on the hood, the headlight arrangement, and the tri-panels on the side windows.

This prototype is clearly reminiscent of the Alpine.

2. Might Be Called A120 Or AS1

There is still no confirmation, but there are rumors within the auto industry that the sports car will keep with the tradition and will call itself the A120 or the AS1. The A120 is a “throwback” to the Alpine A110 Berlinette that came out between 1961 and 1977.

3. Competition Is The Alfa Romeo 4C And Porsche 718 Cayman

What’s a sports car without competition? Renault’s Alpine sports car will have heavy competitions against the Alfa Romeo 4C and the Porsche 718 Cayman. It is likely that it will have a rear-wheel drive that is paired with a turbocharged inline-4. It should be able to produce 270 horsepower that will allow it to go 0-60mph in under five seconds.

4. Production Will Be In France

Unfortunately, not only is the production going to be in France alone, this won’t also be shipped to the US. Renault’s Dieppe plant in the north of France was recently retooled to be able to handle the assembly of the chassis and body of the Alpine sports car.

There is little we know about the new Alpine Sports Car from Renault, other than from the fact that it will resemble the Alpine Vision concept car we had earlier this year. Those who are big Renault fans can blindly order this sports car with a deposit of £1,700 ($2,141).

According to Alpine’s website, the company is beginning to take orders for the sports car’s “premiere edition,” of which only 1,995 will be produced.

How To Order The Alpine Sports Car

It is slightly unconventional for a very traditional company like Renault to market and to promote their sports car like how they did the Alpine. To reserve the Alpine Sports Car, you need to download the Alpine app for your phone, then select your preferred number of the 1,995 being offered. That number will be unique and will appear on a plaque in the cabin when it gets delivered to you next year.

After this, you will have to choose a color—blue, white or black. The final stage is the payment process. You can choose to pay with either a debit or a credit card. There are no trim level selections and no alloy wheel options. That’s how basic the reservation will be.

What We Know So Far In Terms Of Engine Specs

Renault has not even revealed the top speed for the mid-engined sports car. What we do know is that it can go 0-62 mph in just 4.5 seconds, and that it is expected to pack a turbocharged 1.6-liter or 1.8-liter petrol engine, similar to what we can find under the hood of the Renault Clio RS hatchback.

Rumors said the Alpine Sports Car is going to be a rear-wheel drive, and will come with a dual-clutch automatic transmission as standard. This is quite similar to the Alfa Romeo 4C. And like the 4C, the Alpine is going to offer lightweight as one of its benefits. It will be “fractionally” quicker than the Porsche 718 Cayman S, which packs the more powerful 2.5-liter turbocharged petrol engine.

How Renault Hopes To Attract Customers

How can the French company expect to attract customers with no details whatsoever? The “alluring history” of Alpine brand and its exclusivity will hopefully make customers download the app and reserve their own Alpine numbers.

The Toyota 86 was launched as a sports car in 2012, and is sold globally with a Subaru-developed, 2.0-liter boxer engine with either a manual or automatic transmission.

As a collaboration between Japanese automakers Toyota and Subaru, the Toyota 86 was launched together with the Subaru BRZ and the Scion FR-S, though the latter was discontinued this year.

The 86 finally received an update for the 2017 model year according to a report. It got revised exterior elements, a number of interior upgrades, chassis tweaks, and a mild power bump for models with the manual gearbox.

Six months after, Toyota’s performance and motorsport division, Toyota Racing Development (TRD), launched its own package for the coupe. It consisted of a race-inspired body kit and some chassis options.

This new TRD package Toyota 86 fits for those who want to turn their 86 into a race car.

Be careful, though, as this package arrives with two drawbacks—there is no addition of a more powerful engine, and the package is not available for those living outside of Japan.

Toyota, of course, will most likely make it accessible to other markets but until that time comes, we’ll first just ogle at what the Japanese market can enjoy.

The package has a larger and sportier spoiler that extends under the grille. Instead of the standard body color, the splitter comes in all black and extends toward the sides for that racier look.

In addition, there are some LED daytime running lights, as well as black inserts with tiny winglets below the turning signals.

The sides are half-finished in black–the front fender inserts, the upper section of the doors, the lower section of the quarter window, and the lower side mirror. Also coming in black paint for a sportier look are the side skirts, rear wheel arch black trim, and five-spoke 18-inch, forged aluminum wheels finished in a light gold tint.

There are two additional wheel designs, both in 17-inch size, that TRD offers.

On the rear, the TRD package adds the race-inspired diffuser with larger, quad exhaust pipes and a slightly revised bumper with a more angular shape. The spoiler on top of the trunk lid comes in the body color, but you may opt for the carbon-fiber wing as well.

Drivetrain remains unchanged, though the TRD has adjustable coilovers and a new front tower brace as options.

Toyota has not revealed pricing details for the 2017 Toyota 86 TRF, so stay tuned for more info in the coming weeks.

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